#FAWFAM with Brian Barone

Fresh Start at Southern Illinois Edwardsville

(St. Louis, MO) – Brian Barone is excited to have a ‘normal’ basketball season. The third year Southern Illinois Edwardsville coach is participating in his first ‘typcial’ summer for a basketball program and his #FAWFAM program is in full swing. After being named the interim head coach in the spring of 2019, his first season was, as expected, unusual.

While that season was relatively normal, there was virtually no offseason workouts for the 2020-21 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Cougars season was then ravaged by cancellations, interruptions and practically no practice time.

Barone’s ‘Find A Way’ (#FAW) was put to the test during last season’s marathon of challenges, injuries and 19 games in 43 days. His team rallied and played its best basketball during the closing portions of the season.

SIUE won seven of 19 Ohio Valley Conference games, including wins over eventual champion Morehead State and road victories at Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois and UT Martin.

Barone says he needed to add FAM (standing for family) to his FAW. The former Texas A&M player says players need to learn how to persevere individually, but perform in a family environment. He says the grueling schedule drew his team together, rather than pulling them apart.

 

 

Barone admits this will be his first normal or typical season. He’s excited about the opportunity to add layers to the foundation already laid.

 

 

Ray’Sean Taylor & the Twins

Ray’Sean Taylor was the most anticipated newcomer of Barone’s second recruiting class. The Collinsville High product was a local star and a Post-Dispatch ‘All-Metro’ player and an all-stater in Illinois. He averaged over 20 points per game during his last three, high school seasons.

Taylor is a unique talent. He was the Moses that would take the Cougars to the promised land.

A major knee injury ended his season and much of the excitement surrounding last year’s team. Taylor stayed positive and Barone says the 6’1 guard contributed energy and encouragement where he could.

While Barone is taking things slowly with his recovering star, he believes Taylor will be a major contributor on this year’s team.

 

 

While Taylor will be gaining his first Division 1 experience, the Wright Twins begin their third season in Edwardsville, but due to NCAA pandemic related rules, they are still sophomores. Shamar has started 43 games and has accumulated over 400 points entering into his red-shirt sophomore season.

He and twin brother Lamar are each 6’7 and are adding muscle each season. The right-handed Lamar (Shamar is a lefty) recorded an Ohio Valley leading 50 blocked shots and averaged 6.5 points per game, compared to Shamar’s 9.0. Both Wright brothers played multiple positions and Barone says they grew immensely as players and leaders.

 

 

Extra Year to Build #FAWFAM

Building a winning culture is not easy, but Barone is stubbornly holding to the idea of building with the right kind of people and players that will fit the SIUE mantra of #FAWFAM. He wants to build with multi-year players, but one newcomer is grad student Shaun Doss Junior.

The 6’4 guard is an Arkansas Pine-Bluff transfer who is a proven Division 1 scorer. He led the Golden Lions in both scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 per game). Doss accumulated over 800 points during his two plus seasons in Pine-Bluff.

Barone says Doss could have chosen to stay at Pine-Bluff and be the SWAC conference team’s leading scorer again. His selflessness to become part of a successful team is part of the reason the coach and player came together.

 

 

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA has given players an extra year of eligibility. Barone says he will use that extra season to continue to develop relationships with his existing players. The son of former collegiate coach Tony Barone, was raised in an era where players were routinely in the Barone home. SIUE’s head man wants his team to be highly relational and build great amounts of trust.

 

 

Eyeing the Ohio Valley Conference

Barone’s team earned the right to participate in last season’s conference tournament. After that arduous covid-afflicted schedule, Barone believes his team can compete in the improving OVC. The OVC wanted/needed the Cougars to get most of their games played, so SIUE sacrificed for the league, but also proved to themselves they can be a factor during this season’s conference race.

 

 

Barone’s #FAWFAM will be on full display during what we all hope will be a more ‘normal’ kind of season. SIUE opens the campaign on November 9, at Marquette.

Do Good